Expert: Laurie McLauglin - 4/18/2011

Question
Hi,

I have been meditating and reading/practicing Buddhist principles for about 3 years or so.  I read and enjoy many different books by authors such as Thich Nhat Hanh, Jack Kornfield, and Eckhart Tolle.  Although there are many similarities among these authors and the approach to meditation that they teach, I am curious as to whether I should follow a specific tradition, as opposed to reading authors from various traditions.  I feel as though a more systematic approach will allow my practice to grow more.  What is your opinion on this?
Is it wise to pick and choose from different approaches to meditation or is a systematic approach best?
My gut tells me to try a meditative approach out for awhile and experience for myself.

Thanks so much,
Mason

Answer
Hello Mason -

Thank you for letting me answer your question.

I am going to answer strictly from my own personal experience which does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the FPMT or any other specific Buddhist group. If you want an answer based on a specific group such as FPMT I can answer that as well but you would have to ask for that specifically.

My personal opinion is that first you have to trust your own instincts which you seem to be doing by thinking that going with one approach is the best.

I tend to believe that as well. The way it was described to me is that all spiritual roads lead up the mountain to the top.  But if you keep switching from one tradition or group to another it is like changing paths up the hill. Sometimes you have to go down the mountain a bit to get to another path and start back up or at least you have to go sideways.  

Going sideways or down means that you are not going up and we have this precious human rebirth for only a short time.

Also there are so many Buddhist groups and they are all saying pretty much the same thing but with different wording and using different prayers and different rituals and resonating with different Buddhas so it can be confusing to learn one groups language and then switching to another group and having to learn theirs.  So again you are going sideways and not up the mountain.

So from my side and my own experience, picking one tradition and sticking with it is a more systematic approach and can make your practice easier and allow you to gain attainments quicker.

Meditations systems also vary from group to group. You have to find one that your resonate with and that helps you.  I suggest that you go to a group and stick with it for a month at least before you know if it will be right for you. Because they are all going to feel a bit foreign to you at first so first you have to get accustomed to it and when that happens they you can begin to evaluate if you are getting any benefit from it.  

I have noticed that my ego can play tricks with us and our ego can be telling us that it does not like one group or another so that it keeps busy and never settles down to learning how to control and let go of the ego. The ego is good at tricking us to do anything else but really put time into working on ourselves and our minds.

And from my side, joining a group is better than trying to practice on your own. It is definitely easier to meditate with a group than by yourself. And if you join a group you get teachings from a specific teacher or group of teachers that are all focused in the same way. Plus with a group you get teachers that you can ask questions of and who can help you if you are having trouble with part of your practice.  

I hope that this answer was of some benefit and I wish you much success as you go along your path.  If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to let me know.

Namaste - Laurie